Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

"Across the Ice tells this little-known story through the gentle voice of Nookomis, along with glowing illustrations in a vibrant palette and clean, crisp lines...This gorgeous book is a must-read in ELA and social-studies classes." --Booklist (starred review)

Discover the history of the endangered Ojibwe horse and the daring intervention of the Lac La Croix First Nation in this celebration of community, tradition, courage, and hope.

It's a cold, snowy night at Lac La Croix First Nation, and two siblings are too excited to fall asleep. The horses are coming tonight! Amid the buzz of aunties and uncles and cousins, Nookomis tells a story that began many years ago, when their people shared the land with herds of wild ponies. In a symbiotic relationship, the people provided the horses with food and shelter, while the horses helped them run traplines and travel. But after many years had passed, and the herd had dwindled to four, the government threatened to shoot them. It was time to move the remaining horses to safety--but getting them there would be harder than they thought! Follow the true story of a "heist across the ice" from Ontario to Minnesota and learn how a small herd of hardy, indigenous horses returned years later to their native land. Rich illustrations honor the life of the Ojibwe people over time, as well as the land and living things that have survived under their stewardship.

Author: Darcy Whitecrow,Heather M. O'Connor
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/16/2025
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 10.80h x 9.90w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9781536229455
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 06/01/2025 pg. 79
Booklist 07/01/2025 pg. 62
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2025

About the Author
Darcy Whitecrow is Ojibwe and Dakota and a member of the Seine River First Nation band in Northwestern Ontario, where he lives. He practices traditional ways of trapping, fishing, and ricing, as well as spirituality in both the Midewiwin and Sundance traditions. He and his partner, Kim, started the nonprofit Grey Raven Ranch, where they have raised and cared for Ojibwe horses for the last decade to help preserve the breed and the tradition of symbiotic interaction with the Ojibwe people. Darcy Whitecrow and coauthor Heather M. O'Connor previously collaborated on the picture book Runs with the Stars.

Heather M. O'Connor is an award-winning children's author based in Peterborough, Ontario. Her picture book Fast Friends, illustrated by Claudia Dávila, was selected as the Canadian Children's Book Centre TD Grade One Book Giveaway title in 2022 and was the winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award. It was followed up with Friends Find a Way! Her other books include the dual-language picture book Runs with the Stars / Wiijibibamatoon-Anangoonan, coauthored with Darcy Whitecrow and illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko, and the YA soccer novel Betting Game.

Natasha Donovan is a Métis illustrator who worked in academic and magazine publishing before focusing on comics and children's illustrations. She is the illustrator of the award-winning children's book series Mothers of Xsan and several other picture books and graphic novels, including I Was: The Stories of Animal Skulls by Katherine Hocker. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Natasha Donovan now lives in Deming, Washington.